Securing a trolley or serving cart used in a cabin of an aircraft, particularly in the event of turbulence during flight operation, is important in order to ensure a sufficiently high degree of security and safety for passengers in a passenger aircraft.
According to the related art, in the event of expected turbulence, one attempts to stow trolleys in a timely manner in a galley (onboard kitchen) and lock them there. However, this is difficult in the event of unexpected turbulence.
In order to secure a trolley in the cabin, “trolley tiedown fittings” which have bolts onto which a trolley equipped with a corresponding counterpart may be pushed and thus secured. In another alternative, “trolley parking systems,” a trolley is secured by using pivot arms and rocker arms fastened to a monument wall.
For securing to monument walls or bulkhead walls, simple belt systems in which a trolley may be lashed to the wall may be utilized. (for example, a lavatory.)
A securing system installed in a trolley, which is based on a restraint mechanism activated by a gravitational transmitter, is described in US 2002/0014556A1. A bolt integrated into the trolley is thus used as the restraint mechanism, which may extend under the passenger seat on the aisle upon activation. A vacuum suction system, in which the trolley is suctioned onto the cabin floor after activation, is disclosed as an alternative restraint mechanism in US 2002/0014556A1.
Another suction system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,900. There the trolley is suctioned on by valves integrated into the armrests of the passenger seats on the cabin aisle, which are connected to a vacuum system.
WO 01/15973 discloses the securing of a trolley through a rail along a cabin aisle. For this purpose, lowerable skids are attached to the trolley at the front and rear, which are inserted into the rail to secure the trolley. However, the known solutions for fastening a trolley have an array of disadvantages.
With the known solutions, trolleys are fastened at additional locations outside the galley (onboard kitchen). The locations usable for this purpose within the cabin are in the area of the doors, lavatories, and the trolley lifts. In order to secure a trolley, it must first be pushed to a place provided for this purpose. In the event of unexpected strong turbulence (such as “clear air turbulence”), this may prove inadequate.
Modifications of the trolley are made to accommodate the “trolley tiedown fittings”. Significant modifications of the trolley and/or the passenger seats are required for devices disclosed in the references. The necessity of modifying the trolley represents a significant disadvantage, since the trolleys may only be exchanged between different aircraft in a very restricted way. The modifications of the passenger seats described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,900 and the necessity of integrating a suction system are technically complex and susceptible to breakdown.
Additionally, the “trolley parking system” is currently only suitable for half-size trolleys, not for full-size trolleys.